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We’re through a fourth of the NFL season, and 3 undefeated teams remain: the Eagles, Vikings and Broncos. These are three teams who’s defenses have been smothering, and who are starting different quarterbacks then they ended their season’s with last year.

Through four weeks, I have a 34- 30 record picking games. Here are my thoughts on week 5.

Bye Week: New Orleans, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Kansas City

Thursday Night Football

Cardinals @ 49ers: Arizona has gotten off to an p-and-down start to the season, and it continued Sunday against LA. The Cardinals out-gained the Rams 420-288 yards, but committed five turnovers, including fourth quarter interceptions by backup Drew Stanton after Carson Palmer left with a possible concussion. They find themselves with a 1-3 record, and tied with their week 5 opponents at the bottom of the NFC West. San Francisco got off a great start in week 4, putting up 14 points quickly on the Dallas Cowboys, but struggled the rest of the game. So who can get back on track this week and pull themselves out of the cellar? I’m taking the birds, even with them having to start Stanton under center Thursday. ARIZONA WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Texans @ Vikings: Houston is the only team in the AFC South with a winning record, and other than a 27-0 drubbing in week 3, have looked pretty good. They got their first win without JJ Watt, thanks to breakout performance from Will Fuller, the first player in franchise history to have a TD reception and a punt return for a score in the same game Minnesota’s defense is really, really good and the biggest reason they remain undefeated. Sam Bradford has been pretty good in purple and they’re succeeding without Adrian Peterson. They’ll lose soon, but it won’t be in week 5. MINNESOTA WINS

Bears @ Colts: Chicago picked up their first win of the season this weekend, snapping a six-game losing streak. Brian Hoyer was great in his second start for injured starter Jay Cutler, finishing 28-36 for 302 yards and two touchdowns. The run game got going as well, while the defense picked off Matt Stafford twice in a three-point win. Indianapolis has to rebound from a loss, in London, to the Jaguars. Andrew Luck continues to be a no-show in the first half of games, as he threw all three of his touchdowns in the 4th quarter. The Colts offense was plagued with dropped balls and a costly Luck interception that led to Jacksonville’s first touchdown. And their defense didn’t help, drawing costly penalties to extend a number of Jacksonville’s drives. I want to pick the Colts, who can still rebound from this slow start, but if the Bears can get another game on the ground like they did last week, they’ll get a second straight win. CHICAGO WINS

Jets @ Steelers: Two bad weeks in a row for the Jets have them at 1-3 heading into a game with a Steelers team coming off a drubbing of the Chiefs. The same Chiefs who had a field day on defense two weeks ago against New York. Pittsburgh got Le’Veon Bell back, and it looked like he hadn’t missed any time. It was another bad week for Ryan Fitpatrick and the New York offense. The Jets defense let a supposedly hobbled Russell Wilson off the hook, and while they are capable of stopping good teams, I like the home team in this one. PITTSBURGH WINS

Titans @ Dolphins: Miami continues to struggle, and you have to ask when changes will be made. They spent all this money last off-season on the defense, yet they’re bottom five there, with an 0-4 record. Sure they played Cincinnati a week ago, but they’ve been pretty bad on both sides of the ball all year. AJ Green nearly had more receiving yards (173) than Ryan Tannehill did passing (189). Meanwhile, the Titans haven’t been much better in year two of Marcus Mariota. They’re middle of the pack on both sides of the ball. This is a good game for both to get things going and get some confidence, so who gets the win? Tennessee has been in every game this season, so I’ll take them to get the road victory this week. TENNESSEE WINS

Eagles @ Lions: Philadelphia is alone atop the NFC East, thanks to a great start from rookie Carson Wentz, and a very good defense. Detroit has lost its last three games after barely holding on to a week 1 win in Indianapolis. Matt Stafford hasn’t been crisp, and they’re not getting much out of the running game. The Lions have been in every game, win or lose, while the Eagles have had an easy time of it early. They’ll be well rested coming off their bye week and it will show in another victory. PHILADELPHIA WINS

Patriots @ Browns: New England gets Tom Brady back from suspension after suffering a rare loss at home, a very rare shutout loss, and their first of the season. That being said, the Pats are in a good place at 3-1 as they welcome back their starter. Cleveland remains the lone win-less team in the league, despite being right there at the end the of each game the past two weeks. Brady missing 4-games at his age could mean great things for New England, meaning he’ll be fresh, or it’ll mean he’s a bit rusty this week. Or both. Cleveland has looked better on offense the past two weeks, particularly on the ground. But they couldn’t stop the Skins in the red-zone, where Brady thrives. It’ll be close, but I’ll take the road team here. NEW ENGLAND WINS

Redskins @ Ravens: Washington comes in winners of two straight; Baltimore; off their first loss of the season. The Skins were great in the red-zone of the second week in a row, and Kirk Cousins continues to be very accurate. The Ravens lost a one point game to Oakland at home where they both out-gained and held the ball longer. A successful two-point conversion on a fourth quarter touchdown for Baltimore was immediately followed by a foolish taunting penalty, and then a game winning drive from Derek Carr. Can Washington make it three-straight wins, or will the Ravens pick up their fourth win of the season? It’ll come down to red-zone defense and the run game. We know both of these quarterbacks in Cousins and Joe Flacco can air it out. I like the Ravens run game, and trust their defense at home more. BALTIMORE WINS

Sunday 4PM/425PM Games

Falcons @ Broncos: This is a match-up of two of the hottest teams in the NFL. Atlanta is on a three-game winning streak, scoring at least 45 in the last two. They’re the only team above .500 in the NFC South and coming off a game where Matt Ryan threw for over 500 yards against the Panthers. Denver meanwhile, hasn’t lost since a week 15 road loss last year to the Steelers; and their last home loss came in week 10 last year to the Chiefs. The Broncos defense hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game this season, so this will be a test of an extremely hot defense, versus an extremely hot offense. Which wins out? I’m going with the old adage that defense wins championships; the reigning champs will remain undefeated. DENVER WINS

Bengals @ Cowboys: Dallas hasn’t lost since week 1, and even that should have probably been a win. They’re getting huge production from their rookies with no sign of slowing down. The Bengals got back on track and evened their record up in week 4 against the Dolphins. Both teams have defenses capable of making the stops down the stretch when necessary, but with no Dez Bryant, the Bengals have the biggest play threat on the field in A.J. Green, and that’s why I like them to snap the Cowboys win streak. CINCINNATI WINS

Chargers @ Raiders: San Diego’s problem this season hasn’t been scoring, it has been their inability to finish games this season, losing by less than a score each time. Oakland is starting to figure things out on offense, winners of two straight including handing the Ravens their first loss of the season. The Raiders defense is actually allowing the most yards per game, and the 11th most points per game, so there’s work to do there. They’re going to beat the Chargers this weekend, on the strength of their offense. OAKLAND WINS

Bills @ Rams: In week 4, the Bills did something most teams in the Belichick era, shut out the Pats in New England. The deefnse, as well as LeSean McCoy had big gmaes for Buffalo. The LA Rams are playing up to their competition this season, and finishing the job. They took advantage of the Cardinals losing Carson Palmer last week, and find themselves 3-1. Considering they havent had a winnning season 2003, this is a huge thing in itself. Their offense is inconsistent, which is where Buffalo will take advantage.BUFFALO WINS

Sunday Night Football

Giants @ Packers: After starting the season 2-0, the Giants have sputtered in all areas of the game the past two weeks. They’ve allowed big play after big play on defense, while not getting any of their own on offense. Turnovers on special teams and offense aren’t being nullified with forcing opponents to do the same. Green Bay hasn’t been as sharp as they’ve been in the past, but will be rested after their bye week. The Giants have won the last three match-ups in this series, but I’m taking Aaron Rogers in this one.GREEN BAY WINS

Monday Night Football

Buccaneers @ Panthers: Carolina should be worried. They looked lost against Atlanta this past week, never having an answer on how to cover Julio Jones, a guy you should always game plan for as a top priority. Tampa Bay is in the bottom third scoring wise in the league, despite putting 30-plus points on the board in two of their first four games. Their defense has allowed at least 24 in each game as well. So this is a good game for the Panthers to figure some stuff out on both sides of the ball before they fall any further in the standings. CAROLINA WINS

It’s pretty amazing how many teams most thought would be good this season are 0-2.

Most Impressive Teams From Week 2

New England Patriots (2-0)– The Tom Brady revenge tour raged through Buffalo this weekend and put up three touchdowns and 466 yards passing on the Buffalo defense. Rob Gronkowski went over 100 yards, Julian Edelman caught two TDs and nine different Patriots caught passes. The defense let up late, allowing 19 points in the fourth to the Bills to make the final score close, but it really wasn’t.

Arizona Cardinals (2-0) –Carson Palmer is healthy and it means this team is a force to be reckoned with in a division that has the NFC Champs bringing up the rear at 0-2. Palmer was efficient throwing 4 touchdowns on just 185 yards passing. The Cards got help from their defense, and special teams with a team record 108-yard kickoff return. Not to mention that Larry Fitzgerald had one of the best games of his career, catching 3 scores after going nine straight (including the playoffs) without a single one.

Green Bay Packers (2-0) –Make it nine straight regular season home wins for the Packers who got revenge for their NFC Championship loss to the Seahawks. Both defenses played well, but the big play came by Green Bay in the fourth, an interception of Russell Wilson as the Pack went to score 11 to take the lead and the game. The fact that Green Bay could come out on top after losing both Eddie Lacy and Devonte Adams early to injury shows how deep this team is.

Most Disappointing Teams From Week 2

New York Giants (0-2)– The New York Giants are now 0-2… against the New York Giants. They got Odell Beckham Jr and Shane Vereen going, Eli Manning hasn’t thrown a pick and the defense shutdown Matt Ryan for most of the game. But it hasn’t mattered. In both games, they played the 55 minutes of football that should have them 2-0 and atop the NFC East. Instead, they’ve shot themselves in the foot to end two games with poor time management and poor play calling.

Indianapolis Colts (0-2) –For just the second time in his young career, Andrew Luck has lost two straight games. The fourth year QB threw 3 interceptions for the first time in nearly two years, and added a fumble to his bad night. The defense hasn’t been terrible, but they haven’t been able to make up for the bad offense.

Detroit Lions (0-2) – The defense hasn’t been a strengthlike it’s been in the past.Matthew Stafford has been erratic. But the most distressing part has the running game. They managed just 38 yards on the ground against the Vikings a week after surrendering 230 yards in week 1. When Matt Stafford leads you in rushing, that’s a problem. When he has most yards than four other guys combined, that’s a serious problem.

Most Surprising Performances from Week 2

Carolina Panthers (2-0) – I honestly don’t know how they’re doing it. Sure the defense is good, but offensively they haven’t done anything spectacular. Cam Newton looks better than last season, and has gotten it done on the ground, but their actual backs haven’t done much. Their big play threat in Kelvin Benjamin is down for the season, leaving Newton under 200 yards passing. But they’re doing enough and sit tied atop the division.

Oakland Raiders (1-1) – One week after a blowout loss to Cincinnati, they went toe-to-toe offensively with the Ravens and came out on top. David Carr threw for a career high 351 yards, and put a late turnover behind him quickly to throw the game winner with 26 seconds to go. He’s got two big weapons in rookie Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree to throw to, something Oakland has been missing for years.

New York Jets (2-0) –I knew they’d be good this season. But I don’t even think they’ve played their best football and here they are at 2-0 coming off a nice win in Indianapolis. Ryan Fitzpatrick has looked great and forged a quick connection with Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Chris Ivory got banged up in practice but has looked good so far. And the defense after being torched at times in week 1, specifically in the secondary, generated a great pass rush in week 2, and has an incredible 10 takeaways already.

Now we can get to my picks for week 3. I went just 5-11 to bring my season total to 15-17, so clearly I need a rebound.

Thursday Night Football

Redskins @ Giants: Washington’s defense has been one of the biggest surprises this season. New York’s defense is stopping the run, but allowing QBs to have a field day. The Giants offense looked a lot better in week 2, but they beat themselves late again. I should probably stop picking New York, but they handle the Skins well and without their late-game mistakes, I still think they’ve looked like the best team in the division. NEW YORK WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Falcons @ Cowboys: Both teams enter 2-0 but with varying levels of health concerns. Dallas has been hit at QB with Tony Romo’s fractured clavicle, wide receiver with Dez Bryant’s broken foot and Jason Witten’s knee. Atlanta will be without rookie running back Tevin Coleman who injured his rib in their week 2 win. The Cowboys traded for guys to replace their injured stars, including a pick for Matt Cassel, who is a very capable starter. But Matt Ryan has a very healthy and electric Julio Jones paired with Roddy White and I think he’ll be able to out-pass anything the Boys throw out there. ATLANTA WINS

Colts @ Titans: Tennessee went from great to average in a weeks’ time, something to expect with a rookie QB. I’ve already gone over Indy’s problems so I won’t here. But the Jets showed you can do damage to the Colts secondary, so expect Marcus Mariota to throw early and often this week. However, I don’t think it will be enough. Andrew Luck will figure out how to play past his turnovers and explode in week 3 and get win number 1. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Raiders @ Browns: Johnny Manziel was supposed to get another start after picking up his first win a week ago. Not so fast. Josh McCowan will be back after missing week 2 with injury. I don’t like the move, but I guess Cleveland is operating under the “you don’t lose your job because of injury idea.” As for Oakland, no one thought they’d be good this year, and yet they’ve done some good things early on. So who moves to a surprising 2-1? Give me the Raiders in a close one on the road.OAKLAND WINS

Bengals @ Ravens: Andy Dalton is off to one of the best starts of his career, the run game is producing and the defense is doing what it needs to do, holding opponents to 16 points a game. Now they face a hungry 0-2 Ravens team in an AFC North showdown. Baltimore’s defense has allowed that has allowed the seventh most points per game in the first two weeks. I thought Baltimore would be in contention for a playoff spot against this season, and while I know they can win this game and avoid an 0-3 start, I like the Bengals too much right now. CINCINNATI WINS

Jaguars @ Patriots: The Jacksonville Defense has been solid through two weeks of play, but they’re going to need to get to Tom Brady early and often if they want to unseat the champs. Blake Bortles looked better in week 2 than week 1, but he’s still got a lot of work to do. New England is just on another level and at home. They’ll get to 3-0 rather easily. NEW ENGLAND WINS

Saints @ Panthers: Already at 0-2, the Saints are now without Drew Brees. Carolina is seeing a better Cam Newton through two weeks than they saw all of last season. New Orleans defense has been atrocious, the Panthers pretty good. If all holds true, we’ve got another easy win for a soon-to-be 3-0 squad. CAROLINA WINS

Eagles @ Jets: DeMarco Murray has been very, very bad. Sam Bradford has been very bad. The Eagles special teams hasn’t been what it was, nor has the defense. New York has been good in every phase of the game, but it’s been their defense that has stood out above all. NEW YORK WINS

Buccaneers @ Texans: Bryan Hoyer did a better job than Ryan Mallett, but it wasn’t enough. Houston’s running game has been non-existent without Arian Foster. The defense isn’t what they can and have been in the past. Jameis Winston bounced back from a rough NFL debut to show flashes. If the Texans get some help on the ground, I like the Texans at home to pick up their first win. HOUSTON WINS

Chargers @ Vikings: Philip Rivers has been on point this season, completing 81 percent of his passes through two games. But turnovers hurt the Chargers chances at a 2-0 start a week ago. As for the Vikings, Adrian Peterson got back to his old self, racking up nearly 200 total yards to help get his team to 1-1. MINNESOTA WINS

Steelers @ Rams: The Steelers have looked good on offense through two weeks, and that was without Le’Veon Bell. Now with the AFC’s leading rusher from a year ago back, look out. St. Louis’s defense hasn’t been as good as I thought it would be, and the offense has had one great game, and one they’d like to forget about. So give me the more experienced Pittsburgh team on the road. PITTSBURGH WINS

Sunday 4/425 PM Games

49ers @ Cardinals: After a big first week, the Niners looked overwhelmed by the Steelers in week 2, particularly on defense, which is normally a strong suit. And now they have to contend with a hot Cardinals team on the road. Arizona is clicking on all cylinders, picking up where they left off last season with Carson Palmer. They might not give up 48 again, but San Francisco is going to have a tough time stopping the Cardinals. ARIZONA WINS

Bills @ Dolphins: Both of these teams looked great in week 1, and not so great in week 2. Buffalo is waiting for LeSean McCoy to look more like the guy Philadelphia ran out of the backfield last season. The Dolphins shot themselves in the foot with 13 flags for 113 penalty yards including a personal foul that set up the Jags game winning field-goal. The inconsistent showings of the Bills defense through two weeks makes it hard to gauge them. For that I’m taking the home team to improve to 2-1. MIAMI WINS

Bears @ Seahawks: One of these teams will be 0-3 (barring a tie) when the clock hits zero. And it’s easily going to be Chicago. While the Hawks haven’t been as good as they’ve been the past two years, they have been in both games and have played well enough to win. The Bears have looked awful and are now without Jay Cutler, though many are probably okay with that. SEATTLE WINS

Sunday Night Football

Broncos @ Lions: Peyton Manning woke up in week 2 but it was the Chiefs mistakes and Broncos defense that won the game in the end. Detroit is a surprising 0-2, but Matt Stafford always plays better at home than on the road. Denver is lucky to be 2-0, and I think that luck runs out this week. Look for the run game to get going for Detroit. DETROIT WINS

Monday Night Football

Chiefs @ Packers: Kansas City made some poor choices to end week 2. But they have to be happy with what they’ve seen from their skill position guys, now they just have to hope Jamaal Charles holds onto the football. Green Bay overcame injuries to key players in week 2 to get revenge on the Seahawks, thanks in large part to their defense. Both teams have impressed, but give me another home win for Aaron Rodgers and company this week.GREEN BAY WINS

So many things went down in week 1 that I need to break it all down before I can look ahead to week 2.

Top 3 Teams From Week 1

New England Patriots (1-0) – Tom Brady to preseasons – “Who needs them?” The veteran QB looked great despite not knowing he’d play in week 1 until just days before the season began. The Superbowl champs made easy work of the Steelers behind a great performance from Rob Gronkowski, who caught three of Brady’s four passing TDs. The rush defense was one of the only concerns, allowing DeAngelo Williams to rise from the ashes in the wake of the Le’Veon Bell suspension. If week 1 is any indication of how the rest of the season will go, the rest of the East is not going to have as easy of a time as they thought overtaking the Pats as they thought before the suspension was overturned.

Buffalo Bills (1-0) – Can we talk about that defense? The Rex Ryan affect was swift and immediate. To shutdown an offensive juggernaut like Andrew Luck the way they did was impressive. And what about the showing by Tyrod Taylor?

Tennessee Titans (1-0) – Marcus Mariota (your AFC Offensive Player of the week) looked like a veteran in his first career start. He put up numbers impressive for any QB, let alone a rookie. But he didn’t do it alone. The team played well in all phases of the game.

3 Worst Teams From Week 1

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) – Their defense was not ready for rookie QB Marcus Mariota. Jamie’s Winston was outplayed by the guy picked behind him in this years draft. A nice surprise was the 100+ yard receiving game by Austin Seferian-Jenkins on the offensive end, but little help from the run game and no help from the defense spelled disaster from the start.

2. Oakland Raiders (0-1) – There was no pressure on Andy Dalton and it allowed his receiving core to walk all over them all day. The offense wasn’t pretty, barely scrapping 50 yards rushing, while losing their starting QB to injury. You can’t go down 33-0. Ever.

3. New Orleans Saints (0-1) – After a disappointing season a year ago, I thought the Saints would come out swinging in week 1. Arizona has a formidable defense, but a Drew Brees led offense should never have to settle for four field goals. They need a whole heck of a lot more from their run game, and obviously need to convert in the green/red zone.

3 Most Disappointing Teams From Week 1

New York Giants (0-1) – They threw on 3rd and goal but kicked it on 4th and goal. I don’t get it either. IF you run on 3rd down, you run the clock down to a minute. Dallas has no time-outs left. If you go for it then on 4th and goal, and score, then dagger. If you go for it and you don’t score, they’re inside their five with what, 20 seconds? It’s a loss that will sting all season.

2. Detroit Lions (0-1) – They got off to such a great start that you thought they’d finally figured out their road struggles. Wrong. After being up 21-3 in the 2nd, they allowed Philip Rivers and company to score 30 straight points.

3. Seattle Seahawks (0-1) – I know it was a road game, and I never thought the Rams would be an easy out this season. But to give up 34 points the way they did, it was discouraging for the Legion of Boom. The offense figured it out in the fourth to force overtime, but the offensive line needs to protect Russell Wilson better.

Now that that’s done, I can look ahead to week 2 with my picks. I finished last week 10-6. I’d say that’s not bad considering there were so many strange outcomes. Here’s my outlook for week 2.

Thursday Night Football

Broncos @ Chiefs: Peyton Manning didn’t throw an opening week TD for the first time in 12 years. Alex Smith had a big week one despite no touchdowns to wide-receivers. Both teams defenses looked good in week 1. Peyton Manning’s decline has definitely begun, but I can’t see home having a second straight poor outing in a row. Give me the road win for the future hall-of-gamer. DENVER WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Texans @ Panthers: Carolina won their first game of the season, but they didn’t do much offensively to impress me. Houston is already making a change at quarterback and didn’t do much defensively. But get JJ Watt back home and Ryan Mallet starting, I think the Panthers will be shut down enough to even up both teams records.HOUSTON WINS

Buccaneers @ Saints: Both teams enter in at 0-1. Neither team looked good on defense, both has their moments on offense. Division match-ups are never easy, but I cannot see the Saints going down 0-2 a second year in a row, so give me the home team in an easy one.NEW ORLEANS WINS

49ers @ Steelers: When I looked at the schedule before the season, I thought week 1 would be one of the few opportunities San Francisco would have at a win. I still picked Minnesota, but I was right about the Niners in that respect. The biggest mistake the Steelers made in their week one loss was not covering Gronk. Roethlisberger looked good, the running game without Le’Veon Bell looked very good. The 49ers tight-ends are nowhere close to the talent of Gronk combined, so if the Steelers play their game, they should pick up their first win of the year.PITTSBURGH WINS

Lions @ Vikings: I was excited to see the Vikings offense get to work in week 1, with Adrian Peterson returning and the addition of Mike Wallace to help out reigning ROY Teddy Bridgewater. Well, I was left underwhelmed. As for the Lions, as I said before, they were one of the more disappointing teams in week 1. I can’t see their defense being as bad as they were last week, so while Minnesota should score more than three points, I see a rare road win for Detroit this week.DETROIT WINS

Cardinals @ Bears: The Bears found a way to keep their week 1 match-up versus the Packers close despite an underwhelming performance by Jay Cutler. It was the run game that kept them in it, but now they face a defense fresh off a great performance against the Saints… on the road to boot. Carson Palmer looked great fresh off his ACL injury, and QB stability late is what doomed the Cards a season ago.ARIZONA WINS

Patriots @ Bills: The winner moves to 2-0 and takes an early AFC East lead. This game will come down to the Bills ability to stop Rob Gronkowski, who showed the Steelers defense no mercy. I loved everything Buffalo did against Indy a week ago. I thought Tom Brady looked as sharp as ever, but I think a lot of what happened on Thursday night was adrenaline. I hated their run defense against Pittsburgh, so I expect LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams to combine for a big day. Give me the home team to hand the champs their first loss since week 17, also against the Bills. BUFFALO WINS

Chargers @ Bengals: Both teams got great offensive performances from their quarterbacks to start the season. Philip Rivers threw for over 400 yards, despite two early picks, while Andy Dalton was even cleaner with no picks and two TDs. Cincinnati also had a better showing on defense, though San Diego did recover from a rough start. I like both of these teams to have good seasons, but only one can start the season 2-0. And based on consistency and where the game is taking place, give me the Bengals in a race to 30. CINCINNATI WINS

Titans @ Browns: So the Browns lost their starter on an ill-advised scoring attempt, saw Johnny Manziel throw a bomb into the Jets secondary and lose by 21. And now they get a red-hot Titans team and their own young QB fresh off of a road win to open the season. And don’t think that win was all Mariota, Tennessee played well in all phases of the game. So give me the road team to drop the home team to 0-2.TENNESSEE WINS

Falcons @ Giants: Atlanta nearly blew a double-digit lead at home to the Eagles, while New York did drop a double-digit lead on the road to the Cowboys. Roddy White is healthy and it makes the pairing of him and Julio Jones look nearly unstoppable. The Giants played well until they decided to forget how to run out a clock properly. Their defense forced a number of errors, and actually take advantage, something they didn’t do last season. Eli Manning saw a lot of dropped passes and only got help on the ground in the fourth quarter. They did enough to win, but shot themselves in the foot, and you know they will be extra hungry for their home opener. The Falcons defense struggled late, so there are holes to expose. Give me an embarrassed Giants squad to come out strong early. NEW YORK WINS

Rams @ Redskins: The Rams are coming off an impressive OT victory over the NFC Champs. Putting up 34 on the Legion of Boom is reason enough to pick the Rams this week. Add the ever standing issues in Washington and it makes the decision easier. They say anyone can beat anyone on Any Given Sunday, but I’ll take the road team in this one. ST LOUIS WINS

Sunday 4/4:25 PM Games

Dolphins @ Jaguars: I was a bit disappointed with the Dolphins offense against the Redskins a week ago. But the defense was great and they get what should be another easy one this week. Jacksonville’s offense can be a lot better than it was against Carolina, but I don’t see it being enough this week. MIAMI WINS

Ravens @ Raiders: Baltimore lost more than just a game last week. They lost the heart of their defense when Terrell Suggs went down. Joe Flacco looked awful, and the run game didn’t look any better. I’ll chalk some of it up to a good showing by the Broncos defens. They stayed in it because of their own defense and that’s what they should have an easy time against Oakland this weekend. BALTIMORE WINS

Cowboys @ Eagles: Both of these NFC East does did a lot of good things late I. Their games last weekend, but a lot of bad early. I think the Cowboys are the better team, but there’s something abuts these NFC East contests where the team that on paper should win, usually doesn’t. I should also mention DeMarco Murray will want to show why he should’ve been kept over the now injured Dez Bryant. PHILADELPHIA WINS

Sunday Night Football

Seahawks @ Packers: It’s close, but above Pats/Bills, and Broncos/Chiefs, this is the game of the week. You’ve got the defending champs coming off a road loss to their division foes that saw them give up 34 points. Then you’ve got Aaron Rodgers who just doesn’t lose at home, coming off a nice road win that saw a magical reconnection with wideout James Jones. Oh and add the revenge Green Bay wants after losing in the NFC Champuonhip game last year. These two teams always play entertaining games and this should be no different. With no Kam Chancellor in the secondary again this weekend (should he continue his holdout), something is missing for the defending NFC champs. I don’t like it, but give me the Pack to drop the Hawks to a shocking 0-2. GREEN BAY WINS

Monday Night Football

Jets @ Colts: Last week was one of the worst showings by Andrew Luck in his young career. The Bills defense was everywhere. And while the Jets defense is very good, their secondary was still torched by Manziel, who is no Luck. Not to mention that the Jets banged up on defense. The offense for New York was impressive behind Chris Ivory, so the Colts will have to figure out how to shut him down. But I like Andrew Luck too much to think they open 0-2. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Two teams are on their bye as the NFL heads into week 7. The Saints and Raiders have time off after they each lost in week 6.

As for me, I had a pretty good week 6, going 10-5 in my picks, so let’s see if I can at least match that this time around.

Thursday Night Football

Seattle @ Arizona: It’s an NFC West showdown to kick off the week of football. The Seahawks are looking like a top 2-3 team in the NFC, while the Cardinals are much improved from a year ago. Seattle is coming off a win, Arizona a loss. I think it will be close for most of the game, but Seattle’s defense will make a big play late to seal their 6th win of the season. SEATTLE WINS

1PM Sunday Games

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: This division game is actually a battle to stay out of last place. Shocking yes. But still true. The Falcons are having a down year to say the least, and lost Julio Jones for the year before their bye week. They’ll also be without Roddy White for the first time in his 8-year career. The Bucs are win-less and had a hard time stopping any part of the Eagles high-powered offense in week 6. Even without Jones and White, I see think Matt Ryan can lead his team to win number 2. ATLANTA WINS

Chicago @ Washington: The Bears already beat one NFC East team this month, can they do it again? If their offensive line can protect Jay Cutler like they did last week, they’ve got a shot. The Redskins weren’t anything to write home about last week, but they’ve got one thing that can really tip the score in their favors. The bears usually shutdown defense has been suspect of late, and they let Brandon Jacobs turn back the clock and have a big day on the ground. I’m going with the road team, but if RGII and Alfred Morris can get it going big time running the football, this could be Washington’s night. CHICAGO WINS

Dallas @ Philadelphia: Another week of NFC East fun for the Cowboys, against the team they’re currently tied for first place with. Neither team has looked good for more than a week at a time, so with both coming off wins, this will give one team their first winning streak of the season. The Boys will be without starting back DeMarco Murray, and Nick Foles should get another start at QB after a great performance in place of the injured Michael Vick. I think Dallas is the better team, even without Murray, and Demarcus Ware who suffered a pulled quad last week. DALLAS WINS

New England @ New York Jets: The Patriots are feeling good after a late second win over the Saints, while the Jets took a step backwards against Pittsburgh. New England already has a 3-point win over their AFC foes, and I think they get another one. Their run game is starting to improve, and Tom Brady is feeling a lot more comfortable with his new receiving core. But don’t be surprised if this is another one-score game. NEW ENGLAND WINS

Buffalo @ Miami: The Dolphins are coming off their bye and are looking to keep pace with the Patriots. The Bills are looking to get back in the win column with a new quarterback. I think Buffalo showed a lot coming back in the 4th quarter last week against Cincy. But I think Miami is just the better team, and with it being a home game for the Dolphins, that tips the scale for me. MIAMI WINS

San Diego @ Jacksonville: The Jags played probably their best game of the year against Denver, while the Chargers probably played their best game against Indy. San Diego has been very up and down this year, while Jacksonville is has looked a bit better the last two weeks, though moral victories in an 0-6 season don’t count for much. I’d like to say this is the week the Jaguars get rid of the zero, but I think Phillip Rivers and company make it two in a row. SAN DIEGO WINS

St. Louis @ Carolina: These are two teams coming off easy victories. The Rams made the Texans look silly, getting big contributions on defense and in e passing game. While the Panthers pounced on a Vikings team hit by tragedy and controversy. I know it’s a road game, but give me the Rams in a close one. ST LOUIS WINS

Cincinnati @ Detroit: It’s a match-up of two 4-2 teams that are both starting to play well in all facets of the game. Cincy’s defense almost blew a 14 point lead last week, but they did enough to allow the team to get an overtime win. They’ve shown flashes of true greatness this year, snapping Tom Brady’s 52-game touchdown streak two weeks ago. The Lions played really well in Cleveland, stopping a team on a hot streak while getting big contributions from guys like Josesph Fauria and DeAndre Levy. If the Bengals defense can play somewhere between how they did against New England and Buffalo, and get similar run production, I think they pick up a big road win. CINCINNATI WINS

4/4:25PM Sunday Games

San Francisco @ Tennessee: The 49ers have looked very good of late, especially running the ball with Frank Gore. Tennessee has also looked pretty good, despite losing to Seattle Sunday. San Fran has had two straight blowout wins, and I think that ends this week. The Titans didn’t make it easy for one of the NFC’s best last week, and will do the same this week. But I still think the niners get the win. SAN FRAN WINS

Houston @ Kansas City: The past few years I’d have said this is an easy road win for the Texans, but that’s not the case anymore. Houston has been dreadful the past couple of weeks, while the Chiefs defense looks like it could be anyone right now. So while this might not be the blowout Houston has been put through the last few weeks, That being said, I still think KC remains undefeated for another week. KANSAS CITY WINS

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh: Who doesn’t love Ravens/Steelers? Over the last few years it’s been a battle for the ownership of the AFC North, but this year it’s a bit of a different story. The Ravens are looking to avoid slipping below .500, while Pitt is looking for just its 2nd win of the season. The Steelers looked a bit more like themselves in their win Sunday, while Baltimore continues to struggle running the football. I see this being a low scoring game, but I think the road team gets it done. BALTIMORE WINS

Cleveland @ Green Bay: Neither team looked great offensively Sunday, but the Packers were still able to pick up a win over Baltimore. Brandon Weedon had one of the worst games of his career against Detroit. I think both teams play better in this one, but I think Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have two down performances in a row, especially back home. The Pack will be without big play threat Randall Cobb, but youngsters like Mylea White look to step up. GREEN BAY WINS

Sunday Night Football

Denver @ Indianapolis: This is the game everyone wants to see. Peyton Manning returns to Indy for the first time in a different uniform and brings his undefeated Broncos with him. The Colts offense couldn’t get anything going against San Diego, but I don’t see that being a problem this week. As good as Denver’s offense has been, their defense hasn’t been so great. But I still think the Broncos walk out of Indy with the W, simply because of number 18 and his comfort level at Lucas Oil Stadium. DENVER WINS

Monday Night Football

Minnesota @ New York Giants; It’s a match-up of two desperate teams in prime-time. They enter action a combined 1-10, with the G-Men off to their worst start since 1976. You have to give Eli Manning and the Giants the edge at home, right? Well as bad as the defense has been, they did a good job of stopping Matt Forte a week ago, and they themselves found a run game. The Vikings will start their 3rd quarterback of the season, benchind Matt Cassel in favor the recently acquired Josh Freeman. If you can find a way to limit the turnovers, and keep the run game going with new back Peyton Hillis, I think the Giants will pick up win number 1 of the year. NEW YORK WINS